How can we democratize testing? With our new tool, you can find out. We have developed the COVID-19 testing calculator, which estimates the number of tests needed based on a chosen screening strategy, to support decision makers in refining strategies for this type of testing.

Throughout 2021, the U.S. will still need to perform millions of tests each day to open and keep open the economy, send children back to school safely and finally suppress the coronavirus, The arrival of millions of new antigen tests and other new testing modalities, as well as much needed funding from congress, will allow cities and states to increase their testing and expand from efforts to test mostly people with symptoms to regularly and strategically test more asymptomatic people in critical settings.

“As the pandemic evolves, we have seen that the science evolves. It is crucial that we continue to adapt to this change and have a full understanding of the COVID-19 pandemic,” says John Kahan, VP, Microsoft Chief Data Analytics Officer and global AI for Health lead. “We have partnered with the Harvard Global Health Institute and now Brown University School of Public Health on this journey to provide visualizations on their new mitigation targets and surveillance approach of high risk populations as well as a calculator to allow US states to adapt their local strategies to the changes in the future.”